To Katie’s question - it really is a political discussion. The Biden administration has taken a clear stance on ESG and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is pushing to require ESG standards to be required to be reported.
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Like this response - our Bridging The Gap programme has projects in Madagascar (vanilla), India (mint), Philippines (coconut) and Brazil (cosmetic ingredients from the Amazon). We are soon to have a cross-project learning event to share inspirations and the benefits of Zusammenarbeit “Working Together” which reflects the Z in our programme partner’s GIZ’s name. This project is jointly run by GIZ and Symrise, a German Flavor, Health & Nutrition, Fragrance & Cosmetic Ingredient supplier.
The impact of Climate Change on the health of farmers and workers in our supply chains is one of the critical aspects we build into every project - from appropriate use of PPE around reduced application of agrochemicals, to health insurance and education about the WASH Agenda, there are different elements of Health Equity that are embedded within the responsible and sustainable sourcing policies.
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***That draws us to the close of our LIVE element of this online written discussion. However all this information stays here for you to be able to use. If you would like to also contribute - simply login (top right) and then add your comments, by hitting the ‘reply button’.
There will also be a Summary Insights Paper available in the coming days - do make sure you are a Business Fights Poverty member (free to join) in order to receive this.
However, from me, for now, good bye. 
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3.b) Critically important that programmes and projects in remote value chains really understand the community interplay with access to potable clean water. The WASH agenda is one of the most critical enablers of good health, and pressure on potable water supplies is coming under increasingly severe pressure as a result of Climate Change.
Our programme in Indian Mint utilises training around GAPs to reduce pesticide and other agrochemical run-off, thus preventing contamination of the water table while solar pumps and drip irrigation systems reduce total agricultural water consumption while reducing the farmers’ costs.
The combined pay-off of these difference aspects is only becoming apparent as pilot programmes morph into multi-year investments with multiple payback benefits.
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I would say Locally AND Internationally.
The local collaboration is essential such that the context of the local situation is fully understood allowing the most appropriate interventions to be designed and implemented for maximum impact.
The international collaboration is essential such that successful breakthroughs can be propagated from one intervention area to another and equally (and perhaps even more valuable) the same mistakes and errors do not need to be repeated.
We really need PPPs (Public Private Partnerships) to be much more open about their failures - it sometimes appear that the typical NGO/CSO partner is scared of “letting down” their private sector partner by admitting failures and fully learning from them. We should have a positive annual award for Failures that are made public together with the appropriate diagnostic and analysis that allows others to learn from them. Nobody gets it wrong deliberately, but they might get it wrong by design and learning that those design flaws exist will help future projects get it right.
So I would advocate for collaborating around “Shared Mistakes and Failures”.
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Great points, especially on the need for PPP and NGO/SCO approach! Thanks
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I absolutely agree with you
First, for agrarian economy like Malawi, there is need to implement both climate change adaptation and mitigation measures through mainstreaming for example.sustainability in agriculture via climate smart agriculture and Good Agricultural Practices ( GAPs).
Second, economic empowerment of communities through entrepreneurship. There is a need to foster responsible investment in agriculture and manufacturing to reduce both the carbon footprint and social economic inequalities. People should afford basic needs such as medical and weather index insurance to mitigate eventualities of climate induced shocks like floods, droughts and epidemics.
Hi everyone, my name is Priscilla and I’m from Malaysia. Business can support product that has potential to help or made to improve overall health and well-being. There are many product
that can be consume as remedy to health or improvement of produce. Plants that are organically grown or farm animals that are bred and fed with quality feeds are prefer to be the best for consumption. Additionally, the use of organically-grown product can help reduce a person’s carbon footprint, as it does not require the use of pesticides or other chemicals. As such, the product that businesses choose to support and supply can be an exciting natural remedy or a new modern innovation that could help address health equity and climate change. The specific criteria for organic certification vary depending on the type of product and country of origin. Generally, organic products must be grown and processed in accordance with specific standards, including restrictions on the use of synthetic pesticides, fertilizers and other materials, and requirements for proper soil conservation, water and air quality management. Businesses should aim to be a certified supplier for product like a professional aim to be a certified professional for their services. To give you an example, certified organic suppliers
follows specific criteria, such as following organic farming practices, and their product are inspected and certified by a recognized certifying agent. Health agents should be given an authority to check all product are safe before allowing it to be supplied to the consumers. This is right according to food safety. “Safety First”. We are already faced with issues of food security when our produce are threatened by flash flood due to climate change but we still need to make sure we follow the food safety rules too. But this is a challenge because to do this we have to advocate for good behaviour in business and producer. As a business, we strive to offer our clients the best product n services and the effort is a rewarding experience when you are able to be a remedy to the health problem and become part of the climate solution. Killing two birds with one stone.
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